invention relates to security holders used to prevent the theft of prerecorded media from retail stores, and particularly to a security holder for compact discs.
Compact discs (CDs) present a relatively new form of non-magnetic recording media which are growing in popularity proportionally with the increasing sales of compact disc players.
The compact discs themselves are thin, flexible plastic resin sheets with a digitally recorded, engraved pattern. The compact discs resemble small vinyl phonograph records which are made from transparent plastic, and in which the embedded "grooves" are barely visible except for the diffraction patterns they create in white light. A laser enclosed in the compact disc player directs one or more beams onto the surface of the compact disc at a constant angle of deflection, at least one beam being reflected off the disc at varying angles dependent upon the engraved pattern. In simplest form, a reflected beam would be directed either at or away from a photoelectric receiver, thus creating a binary series of pulses corresponding to the digital recording, which are then converted back into an analog signal or directly into audio sound. Compact discs are manufactured according to set standards and specifications promulgated by the N. V. Philips' Gloeilampenfabrieken of Eindohoven, the Netherlands, and the Sony Corporation of Tokyo, Japan.
Compact discs and compact disc players are used for a variety of data recording and retrieval purposes, including microcomputer read-only-memory (CD-ROM) systems and interactive video. The largest market for compact discs, however, is currently prerecorded stereo music, wherein compact discs are quickly replacing phonograph records and magnetic tape cassettes.
Although compact discs are substantially more expensive than phonograph records or magnetic tape cassettes, compact discs are generally preferred because they provide greater longevity and sound quality than either records or tapes. Compact discs are comparable to magnetic tape cassettes in their size and portability, and compact disc players are now being manufactured with dimensions similar to those of cassette tape recorders. The increased cost of the prerecorded compact discs therefore makes them ready targets for theft from retail stores.
Prerecorded compact discs are conventionally placed on a molded plastic rectangular support card having a beveled hub which is engaged in the central hole of the compact disc, with the support card then being received within a transparent plastic rectangular outer case having a pivotal lid. These plastic outer cases generally have minimum and maximum dimensions conforming to industry standards, but may otherwise be constructed in a variety of manners, one example being shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,613,044.
The compact discs are then generally sold in one of four display packaging formats. One or more sheets of printed advertising material similar to that contained in a record jacket may be placed directly within the plastic outer case, thus identifying the contents of the compact disc within the case, and sold in this form. The plastic outer case may also be inserted into a paperboard or fiberboard box having dimensions slightly greater that the plastic outer case, with the box itself having the advertising and content information printed thereon. The plastic outer case and printed materials may be packaged side by side in a two compartment, two piece flexible plastic bubble pack which has either a hinged lid or two separate components which are pressed together in locking engagement. Such a package may also be designed to contain a set of two compact discs and the associated printed material. Finally, one or two of the plastic outer cases and the printed materials may be inserted in a larger cardboard or paperboard box, which is similarly printed with advertising and content information.
Compact disc holders for storing a plurality of compact discs are also known. U.S. Pat. No. 4,535,888 discloses a storage case for two or more compact discs comprising an intermediate bottom member with opposing pivotal lids, the bottom member of the storage case receiving and retaining compact discs in much the same fashion as described for the outer plastic cases above. U.S. Pat. No. 4,647,117 discloses a container for compact discs in which each disc is stored in a sliding drawer-like tray movable into and out of a housing by spring-biasing.
While devices similar to the above plastic outer cases and compact disc holders provide protection for the compact disc and permit more convenient use thereof, they do not serve the function of preventing the compact discs from being shoplifted from retail stores.
A similar problem was encountered with conventional magnetic tape cassettes and eight track tapes, which are more easily concealed on a person and surreptitiously removed from a store that larger phonograph albums. Initially , merchants dealt with the problem of cassette tape theft by locking the cassettes in display cases which permitted the cassettes to be viewed but not removed, and then by placing the cassettes in security holders and equipping the doors of the display cases with apertures smaller than the security holders such that the customers could reach through the apertures but not remove them completely from the display case.
The security holders have subsequently been modified to include enhanced tamper resistant closures to prevent the cassettes tapes from being removed from the security holders, and enlarge so that the security holders cannot be easily concealed by a person, thereby permitting the cassettes and security holders to be placed in open racks and display cases to avoid the necessity of having sales personnel unlock the closed display cases each time a customer wishes to purchase a cassette. Representative examples of such security holders are in shown U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,587,837; 3,675,763; 3,776,374; 3,828,922; 3,871,516; and 4,245,741.
Of particular interest is the anti-theft point-of-sale container disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,381,838. The '836 security holder has a walled body section and pivotally hinged lid member defining a compartment region, and is designed to be used with either magnetic tape cassettes or eight track tapes. The body section and lid member are sized to receive up to two tape cassettes or a single eight track tape, with molded ribs being positioned to firmly secure one or two tape cassettes or a single eight track tape between the body section and lid member. The lid member include flat barbs which project downwardly and are engaged in aligned slots defined by the side walls of the body section to secure the lid member to the body section. The tape cassettes or eight track tape are removed by the purchaser by cutting or slicing through a weakened line in the hinge member connecting the body section and lid member. The security holder also includes a handle section which increases the overall size of the security holder to make concealment more difficult, and to make the security holder more convenient to carry while shopping or until the contents are removed.
Security holders were originally designed so that the tape cassettes could be removed by the sales personnel at the checkout counter and the security holders then reused. It has now become accepted practice to leave the tape cassettes in the security holders, and allow the customer to remove the tape cassette and dispose of the security holder.
There are several common disadvantages which designers of security holders for tape cassettes and other similar items seek to achieve.
One advantage is to design the security holder such that is inexpensive to manufacture and consumes a minimum of materials, so as not to unduly increase the cost of either the finished security holder nor the retail item. Another design objective is to effectively limit an individual's ability to conceal the security holder, and thereby aid in the detection of shoplifters and prevent items being removed from the store premises. A related design advantage is found in making the closure of the security holder difficult to tamper with, to prevent removal of the tape cassette or other items from the security holder while the individual is in the store. A similar advantage is to design the security holder such that store personnel may quickly insert and secure the items within the security holder. A distinct advantage is achieved in designing a security holder which will securely receive one or more different items, such as in the case of the above referenced container usable with either tape cassettes and eight track tapes.